Emeline K/Bidi

Emeline K/Bidi
K/Bidi at the Fête de l'Humanité in 2023
Co-President of the GDR Group
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 April 2025
Serving with Stéphane Peu
Preceded byAndré Chassaigne
Deputy of the French National Assembly
for Réunion's 4th constituency
Incumbent
Assumed office
22 June 2022
Preceded byDavid Lorion
Deputy Mayor of Saint-Joseph
In office
March 2020 – June 2022
Personal details
Born (1987-05-13) 13 May 1987
Saint-Denis, Réunion, France
PartyLe Progrès
EducationUniversity of Réunion Island (LLM)
École des Barreaux de Paris (CAPA)
ProfessionLawyer

Emeline K/Bidi (French pronunciation: [kɛʁbidi]; born 13 May 1987) is a French lawyer and politician who has represented Réunion's 4th constituency in the National Assembly since 2022. A member of Le Progrès, she sits with the Gauche démocrate et républicaine (GDR) parliamentary group and became its co-president on 1 April 2025, alongside Stéphane Peu. Before entering Parliament, she served as deputy mayor of Saint-Joseph, with responsibility for planning and human resources. K/Bidi is one of three deputies from La Réunion in the GDR group, which comprises Communist and overseas elected officials. Her legislative work focuses on issues affecting France's overseas territories, particularly banking fees, housing costs, and territorial equality. In June 2025, she announced her candidacy for mayor of Saint-Pierre in the 2026 municipal elections.

Early life and education

Emeline K/Bidi was born on 13 May 1987 in Saint-Denis, Réunion. Her father was a schoolteacher (instituteur) and her mother a cleaning woman (femme de ménage).[1] Her family name is of Breton origin; her ancestor relocated from Quimperlé in Brittany to Réunion in the 18th century.[2] The letter Ꝃ (K with stroke; French: k barré) was used in Breton as an abbreviation for the prefix Ker, meaning "village" or "hamlet".[3] She completed her secondary education at Lycée Pierre Poivre in Saint-Joseph, obtaining her baccalauréat in 2005.[4] She pursued her legal studies entirely at the University of Reunion Island in Le Tampon, earning a licence in law (2007–2008), a Master 1 in Business Law as major of her class (2008–2009), and a Master 2 in Law and Litigation, also as major (2009–2010). She won the University of Réunion's thesis competition in 2009–2010.[4] K/Bidi passed the entrance examination to the Regional Training Center for the Legal Profession (CRFPA) of Réunion in 2008–2009 and obtained her law degree from the Paris Bar School in 2012.[4]

K/Bidi was sworn in at the high court of Saint-Denis on 5 April 2013, where she worked as an associate lawyer with Maître Jean-Jacques Morel until 2019.[5] In May 2019, she was called to the bar at Saint-Pierre, where she established her own practice in Saint-Joseph.[4][6] She maintained her law practice as an individual entrepreneur until July 2024.[7]

Municipal career

K/Bidi entered politics in March 2020, when she was elected to the municipal council of Saint-Joseph on the list led by Patrick Lebreton. She was appointed sixth deputy mayor (6ème adjointe), with responsibility for planning (aménagement) and human resources.[4][8] She gained public prominence in early 2022 when she served as the municipal spokesperson during the passage of Cyclone Batsirai and Cyclone Emnati, providing regular updates on cyclone damage in Saint-Joseph.[4] She resigned from her municipal positions in June 2022 following her election to the National Assembly, in accordance with France's conflict of interest laws.[9]

National Assembly career

First term (2022–2024)

In the 2022 French legislative election, K/Bidi ran to represent Réunion's 4th constituency—comprising Saint-Pierre, Saint-Joseph, and Petite-Île—as the candidate of Le Progrès, supported by Patrick Lebreton and regional councillor Wilfrid Bertile.[4] She faced incumbent David Lorion of Les Républicains, who had held the seat since 2017. In the second round on 19 June 2022, K/Bidi defeated Lorion with 61% of the vote, marking a significant shift in a constituency that had previously voted for the right.[10] She joined the Gauche démocrate et républicaine (GDR) parliamentary group and was assigned to the Commission des Lois (Committee on Constitutional Laws, Legislation, and General Administration).[11] She also served on the Délégation aux outre-mer (Delegation to Overseas Territories) and briefly on the study group on prostitution.[12]

Second term (2024–present)

Following President Emmanuel Macron's dissolution of the National Assembly in June 2024, K/Bidi stood for re-election under the New Popular Front banner. In the first round on 30 June 2024, she won 42.3% of votes, ahead of National Rally candidate Jonathan Rivière (27.6%) and Lorion (24.6%).[13] In the second round on 7 July 2024, she defeated Rivière with 60.6% of votes, winning decisively in all three communes: Saint-Pierre (60.3%), Petite-Île (52.5%), and Saint-Joseph (63.4%).[14] She was re-assigned to the Commission des Lois.[15]

Co-presidency of the GDR group

On 1 April 2025, following André Chassaigne's election as deputy mayor in Puy-de-Dôme and his subsequent departure from the Assembly, K/Bidi was elected co-president of the GDR group alongside Stéphane Peu, deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis.[16][17] The GDR group comprises 17 deputies, with roughly equal representation between Communist Party members and deputies from overseas territories.[18] As co-president, she has led the group's opposition to successive governments. In September 2025, she stated: "We are not responsible for the situation...This is what the French people are demanding—the resignation of the President of the Republic!"[19]

Legislative work

K/Bidi's parliamentary activity has focused on issues affecting La Réunion and France's overseas territories. According to Datan, she has participated in 82% of solemn votes since taking office in July 2024, voting in alignment with her GDR group 94% of the time.[20] On 5 June 2025, during the GDR's parliamentary initiative day, K/Bidi presented a legislative proposal to reform the Allocation de solidarité aux personnes âgées (ASPA), France's old-age solidarity allowance. Her proposal would exclude the value of a person's primary residence from succession repayment calculations, addressing the high non-take-up rate among elderly people in La Réunion who fear their heirs will be forced to sell the family home.[21] She has also advocated for capping or eliminating excessive banking fees in overseas territories, which disproportionately affect low-income households.[22]

Political positions

K/Bidi voted in favour of inscribing abortion rights (IVG) in the Constitution.[23] She voted against the 2023 immigration law and against the National Rally's proposal to denounce the 1968 Franco-Algerian accords.[24] She voted in favour of the proposition de loi creating a right to assisted dying in May 2025.[25] She supported the November 2025 parliamentary vote to suspend the pension reform law, which was adopted by 255 votes to 146.[26]

2026 mayoral candidacy

On 1 June 2025, K/Bidi announced her candidacy for mayor of Saint-Pierre in the March 2026 municipal elections.[27] She will face incumbent mayor David Lorion, her opponent in both the 2022 and 2024 legislative elections.[28] At her campaign launch, attended by fellow GDR deputies Frédéric Maillot and Karine Lebon, K/Bidi stated: "My motivation comes from the field, from the call I have received since 2022, from this desire of the population to see change...I want to break with the old clientelist system."[29]

References

  1. ^ "Qui est Emeline K/Bidi ?". L'Écho du Sud (in French). 25 March 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ^ Julien Marchand (September–October 2023). "Le K barré : la lettre interdite". Bikini (63): 28.
  3. ^ Philippe Guérin (10 October 2022). "Les origines bretonnes de la députée réunionnaise Emeline K/Bidi". Amicale Bretagne Réunion (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Législatives 2022 : Emeline K/Bidi, l'adjointe au maire de St-Joseph, candidate dans la 4ème circonscription". Freedom.fr (in French). 30 March 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Emeline K/Bidi élue députée de la 4ème circonscription : "J'ai hâte de me mettre au travail"". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 19 June 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  6. ^ "EMELINE K/BIDI". France Avocat (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Fiche Émeline K/bidi". Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Vie municipale". Ville de Saint-Joseph (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Déclaration de modification substantielle des intérêts et des activités déposée le 16 mars 2025". Haute Autorité pour la transparence de la vie publique (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Résultats législatives 2022 : Emeline K/Bidi est la nouvelle députée de la 4ème circonscription à La Réunion". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 19 June 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Emeline K/Bidi - Son activité de députée". nosdeputes.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Emeline K/Bidi - Son activité de députée à l'Assemblée nationale". nosdeputes.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  13. ^ "RESULTATS. Législatives 2024 : Emeline K/Bidi, la candidate du Nouveau Front Populaire, est réélue dans la 4ème circonscription de La Réunion". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 7 July 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  14. ^ "RESULTATS. Législatives 2024 : Emeline K/Bidi est réélue dans la 4ème circonscription". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Mme Émeline K/Bidi - Réunion (4e circonscription)". Assemblée nationale (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Stéphane Peu devrait succéder à André Chassaigne à la tête du groupe GDR à l'Assemblée". uniqueparis.fr (in French). 15 March 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  17. ^ "La politique et moi - Émeline K/Bidi, députée 'Gauche Démocrate et Républicaine' de la Réunion". LCP - Assemblée nationale (in French). 12 May 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Un groupe GDR à l'Assemblée". Coopérative des Elus (in French). 19 July 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Bayrou dewo". fxgpariscaraibe (in French). 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Émeline K/Bidi - Activité Parlementaire". Datan (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Karine Lebon, Emeline K/Bidi et Frédéric Maillot présentent les propositions de loi de leur groupe parlementaire". Imazpress (in French). 4 June 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  22. ^ "Karine Lebon, Emeline K/Bidi et Frédéric Maillot présentent les propositions de loi de leur groupe parlementaire". Imazpress (in French). 4 June 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Émeline K/Bidi a voté en faveur de l'inscription de l'IVG dans la Constitution". Datan (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  24. ^ "Émeline K/Bidi - Votes". Datan (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Émeline K/Bidi a voté en faveur de la proposition de loi créant un droit à l'aide à mourir". Datan (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  26. ^ "La suspension de la réforme des retraites a été adoptée". Datan (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Saint-Pierre : Emeline K/Bidi officiellement candidate". Freedom.fr (in French). 1 June 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Municipales 2026 : 4 députés ultramarins se lancent dans la campagne comme têtes de liste". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 17 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Municipales 2026 : Emeline K/Bidi annonce sa candidature à Saint-Pierre". Réunion La 1ère (in French). 1 June 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

Page on the National Assembly website (in French)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.